1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optically active compounds which are useful as components for liquid crystal compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In addition to combinations of liquid crystal compounds which exhibit chiral smectic phases, there have been known ferroelectric liquid crystal materials, obtained by adding optically active compounds to a liquid crystal matrix, such as liquid crystal compounds or compositions showing smectic C phase or smectic H phase [Ann. Phys.,3,237 (1987)].
However, most optically active compounds, used for this purpose, produced from optically active alcohols such as optically active 2-octanol or optically active 2-butanol, of small intramolecular dipole moment, provide a long response time when added to liquid crystal compounds or compositions as a matrix, and are not feasible for practical use.